Lavatory hair and lint collector



Feb. 25, 1941,- w. M. WILS ON LAVATQRY HAIR AND LINT COLLECTOR Filed Jan. 22. 1940 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a collector for catching or retaining hair, lint and like material which is discharged with waste water through the outlet or drain of a lavatory. It is well known that the waste outlet or drain pipes of lavatories frequently become clogged due to hair, lint and the like becoming caught in the same and entangle with solid material such as hairpins, matches, and small pieces of wood, forming therewith a mass or plug which either retards or wholly obstructs the flow of water through the drain, and thus necessitates removal of this obstruction before the lavatory can be used normally.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and efficient means whereby hair, lint and the like will be intercepted as it passes with the waste water through the drain or outlet of the lavatory and which can be easily mounted in the drain and removed therefrom and cleaned of any material attached thereto so as to maintain the drain in good operative condition.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is .a. perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with this invention for collecting or trapping hair, lint and the like while the same passes with waste water through the drain of a lavatory, the latter being shown by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale compared with Fig. 1, of the drain of the lavatory and the hair and lint collector mounted therein.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the hair and lint collector detached from the lavatory drain.

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the same.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-'5, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 4.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Although this invention can be used in connection with lavatories which differ in details of construction'that shown in the drawing as an example of one satisfactory for the present purpose comprises a bowl l0 having a drain or waste outlet which is "formed in a tubular neck I I proiecting downwardly from'the bottom of the bowl and "a pipe l2 connected at its upper end with said neck and communicating at its lower end with the sewer of the building.

Within the neck is arranged the usual intercepting cup for catching comparatively large articles or materials which may be washed down with the waste water from the bowl into the outlet of the same, which cup comprises a cylindrical side wall I3 engaging the bore of the neck H, a later-ally projecting flange l4 arranged at the upper end of this side wall and engaging the 5 inner side of the bottom of the bowl, and a bottom I5 arranged at the lower end of the side wall and provided with screen openings l6 which permit the passage of water but separate therefrom large particles and retain the same on the '10 upper side of this screen where they can be conveniently removed. When the lavatory is in use the water is retained in the bowl by a plug inserted in the cup in the usual and well known manner.

The device which embodies the present improvements for catching hair, lint and similar material is preferably constructed as follows:

The numeral l1 represents a horizontal skeleton like supporting head of openwcrk form which is preferably constructed of sheet metal and is adapted to rest on the upper side of the screen bottom of the intercepting cup in the outlet of the bowl and has acrescent shaped rim l8, and a plurality of radial arms, 19 connected with said rim and forming between them openings for the passage of water and small material which are discharged from the bowl but holding back any large particles which may be present in the Water. Between two adjacent arms of this supporting head the rim is omitted so as to form a notch 2! extending from the central part of this head to the periphery thereof, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

From the underside of this supporting head an upright stem 22 is mounted for catching hair, lint and the like which may be present in the waste water. This stem is preferably constructed of sheet metal and made in one piece with the supporting head by connecting the upper end of the stem integrally with the head at the inner end of the notch 24 thereof, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. In making the supporting head and stem the same are first stamped out of a sheet of metal so that these members are arranged in the same plane and then the stem is bent downwardly so that the same is arranged at an angle to the axis of the head. The stem preferably tapers upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, and is provided on its opposite vertical edges with a plurality of catching teeth or hooks 23 arranged in upright rows on these edges. These teeth preferably project upwardly and are formed on the catching stem by cutting, stamping or otherwise.

In using this device the stem is passed downwardly through one of the openings l 6 of the intercepting screen I! so that the same is substantially in the center of the outlet or waste passage formed in the drain pipe below this screen, the stem being maintained in this position by the supporting head resting on the screen and the rim of the head engaging with the bore of the intercepting cup, as shown in Fig. 2.

As the waste water flows downwardly in the outlet of the bowl the same forms a spiral Vortex around the catching stem below the screen whereby any hair, lint or the like contained in the stream of water are drawn helioally around the stem and caught by the teeth of the latter. At suitable intervals the supporting head and catching stem are removed from the outlet of the bowl and any hair, lint or other fibrous material is removed therefrom, thereby preventing pieces of paper, Wood, matches or similar solid material from being accumulated and entangled therewith and possibly forming a mass which would either choke the drain or seriously obstruct the outlet conduit of the bowl and interfere with the normal operation of delivering waste water from the bowl.

For convenience in manipulating the supporting head and stem of the catching device a fingerpiece or handle 24 is provided which is prefer.- ably constructed from metal and secured by welding or otherwise to the central part of the supporting head so as to project upwardly therefrom, as shown in Figs. 1, 2,3, 4 and 5, and be within convenient reach from the inner side of the bowl to permit of easily mounting the catching device in its operative position within the bowl outlet for catching hair, lint and like material and removing this device from the bowl for cleaning any material caught thereon; It has also been found that this fingerpiece 2d collects a very substantial amount of hair and lint due to the helical movement of the water in passing through the drain or outlet. It is therefore apparent that a stem arrangedaxially of the drain or outlet and supported on a removable head will collect the lint and hair regardless of whether this stem projects downwardly or upwardly from the head and regardless of whether or not it is provided with teeth.

It will be apparent that in the use of applicants device any hair or material which becomes loosely wound around the; upper narrow part of; the stem due to the swirling movement of the hair or material around the stem, becomes tightly attached thereto as this material moves downwardly along the enlarged part of the stem, and that thiscatching capacity of the stem is further increased by arranging the stem diagonally across the axis of the lavatory outlet, and still further increased by arranging the upwardly projecting teeth in two downwardly diverging rows on opposite edges of the stem. I

As a whole this catching or collecting device is very simple and inexpensive in constructing the same, can be easily and quickly placed in the outlet of the bowl and removed therefrom, and the same operates very effectively without interfering with the normal function of the drain pipe of the bowl.

I claim as my invention:

l. A collector for catching hair, lint and like material discharged with waste water through the outlet of a 1avatory, comprising a head re-'- movably supported in said waste outlet and formed to permit the passage of waste water and entrained hair and lint thereby,a long, thin, subwith the flow of the waste. water through said outlet. 2. In combination with the waste outlet for a,

lavatory and having a standard intercepting screen adjacent-its upper end, a collector for catching hair, lint and like material discharged with the waste water through said outlet, comprising a sheet metal stamping having a horizontal fiat head removably resting on said screen and having openings to permit the passage of waste water'and entrained hair and lint thereby, an integral, long, thin, substantially straight, fiat stem carried by said head and projecting downwardly through one of the openings in said screen a substantial distance'into said waste outlet .Xially thereof, and teeth provided on the opposite edges of andarranged along said stem to catch the hair and lint from the waste water passing through said outlet, said stem providing an annularspace of substantial length and cross sectional area between said stem and outlet to permit the accumulation of a large mass of hair and lint on said stem without substantial interference with the flow of the waste water through said outlet.

3. A collector for catching hair, lint and like material discharged with waste water through the outletof a lavatory, comprising a sheet metal stamping having a horizontal flat head adapted to be supported in said outlet and'having acrescent shaped outerrim and radial arms thereby to provide openings for the passage of said water and hair and lint, along fiat stem formed integrally with said head anddepending therefrom and being arranged substantially centrally of V said head and substantially axially of said outlet, a plurality of, upwardly and laterally extending teeth on the opposite side edges of said stem, said stem being comparatively narrow'whereby a considerable amount of space isprovided between said stem and said outlet to permit a large quantity of hair and lint to be collected ,onsaid stem without materially obstructing said outlet.

4. A collector for catching hair, lint and like material discharged with waste water through the outlet of a lavatory, comprising a head removably supported in said outlet and provided with openings'for the passage of water. and material, and a substantially uprightstem arranged below the head and connected at its upper end therewith and having its opposite vertical edges converging upwardly so that the stem is of gradually increasing width from its-upper end toward its lower end and any material wound loosely around an upper part becomes tightly attached to the lower part of the stem as it moves downwardly converging upwardly so that the stem is of gradually increasing width from its upper end toward its lower end and any material wound loosely around an upper part becomes tightly attached to the lower part of the stem asit moves downwardly on the latter, said stem being inclined diagonally across the axis of said outlet and having its upper end connected with said head on one side of said axis and its lower end arranged on the opposite side of said axis.

6. A collector for catching hair, lint and like material discharged with waste Water through the outlet of a lavatory, comprising a head removably supported in said outlet and provided with openings for the passage of water and ma.- terial, and a substantially upright stem arranged below the head and connected at its upper end therewith and having its opposite vertical edges converging upwardly so that the'sten'i is of gradually increasing width from its upper end toward its lower end and any material wound loosely around an upper part becomes tightly attached to the lower part of the stem as it moves downwardly on the latter and the opposite edges of said stem being provided with two rows of upwardly projecting teeth which rows diverge downwardly.

WALTER M. WILSON. 

